La Iguana de Piedra

Address: Jocotepec-Chapala Carretera
Phone: 387-761-0009

Hours of Operation: Daily 10:30 AM - 9 PM
Facebook: Iguana De Piedra
Credit Cards Are Not Accepted

Directions: From Walmart head west on the Carretera towards Jocotepec. Past Los Sabinos and Lago Encantado there will appear on your left a succession of restaurants along the lakefront, starting with Mariscos el Carnal. La Iguana is the last of these restaurants. There is a large orange sign on the right hand side of the road with La Iguana on it. Parking is available in front of the restaurant, and valet parking across the highway is available for $30 pesos.

First Impressions

La Iguana de Piedra is just one of about a half dozen attractive restaurants on the lakefront between Ajijic and San Juan Cosala.  Every restaurant along this stretch of highway employs wavers who stand on the street, signaling and whistling at potential customers to encourage them to stop and eat.

These restaurants cater to weekend visitors from Guadalajara and start filling up after 2 p.m. on the weekends.

Behind the castle-like walls is a series of open air dining rooms under huge palapas and situated on the waterfront.

Once inside the large doors, you are in a beautiful garden. The grounds are filled with tropical plants, statues of animals and a pier that reaches out over the lake. We arrived a little early so were leaving just as the band was setting up. The next time we will make sure to come a little later in the day so we can enjoy the live music. .
 

Menu

We were seated promptly and the young waiter brought out large tostada chips, salsa and pico de gallo. Then he asked if he could take our order, though we had not been given menus

We told him we needed to see a menu and he informed us that there was no menu in English.
 "That is okay," we said, and so finally were given a menu.

 It was a very odd experience. We placed a drink order and sampled the giant chips and salsa, which were good, but we waited for some time before our wine appeared. The menu offered shrimp, octopus and fish, prepared in a variety of ways and several cuts of steak. The prices are some of the highest we have seen in lakeside restaurants. Customers pay for the beautiful setting and entertainment.

I would have thought  we were getting the gringo prices except, unlike most nice restaurants in Ajijic, there were very few gringos dining at La Iguana.

We ordered two shrimp dishes, Camarones Empanizado  and Camarones Verecruzana,  then sat and gazed at the lake while waiting for our meals.

Shrimp Veracruzana had large tender shrimp, served in a tomato, chili pepper, caper and olive sauce. It was slightly spicy and delicious and served with Mexican rice, a salad and slice of watermelon.

Shrimp Empanizado,  breaded and fried shrimp, was also served with salad, rice and watermelon.
The breading was nice and crisp and the shrimp large. Unfortunately, the shrimp was a bit overcooked and tough, the result of cooking too long. The Shrimp Veracruzana was the much better dish.

There were several desserts on the menu, however, the waiter did not ask for a dessert order. Our meals were so huge and filling, we decided to forgo dessert this time.

La Iguana has a full bar and serves beer and a very large glass of wine for $50 pesos.

Ambiance

Dining at La Iguana de Piedra is a beautiful experience. The dining rooms are situated under huge palapas over looking the lake. This is the quiet side of the lake so there are a few pelicans landing and taking off and fishermen casting from small boats on the far side of the lake.

We chose a seat at the edge of the lake. The view, alone, is worth a trip to La Iguana de Piedra for lunch.

Service was a bit slow. It seemed like they were not quite ready for customers when we arrived. We waited for some time before our drinks arrived, though we ordered them immediately after we were seated.

Our waiter asked for our order before we were given a menu. Our meals came out promptly after we ordered and the waiters were polite, though not especially attentive.

There was nothing wrong with the service, per se, but there was also nothing especially remarkable about it either.

Maybe management at La Iguana needs to bring in those guys off the street, the ones waving and jumping and begging customers to choose their restaurant, and let them spend some of their enthusiasm waiting on customers and let the confused and uninterested meseros spend some time flagging down customer in the streets.

Price

La Iguana de Piedra is one of the most expensive restaurants that we have dined at along Lake Chapala. Our meals were good, but not outstanding. The draw of this place is the beautiful setting. Our meals were $150 pesos each and were some of the least expensive dishes on the menu. Our total bill was $500 pesos

Our Recommendation ***

La Iguana de Piedra is a beautiful place to have lunch on a warm, breezy afternoon. Come a little later in the afternoon and enjoy the live band. The food is good, and service is average, but the setting is spectacular. Have the Camarones  Veracruzanas, if you can stand a little spicy kick to your meal.